Hubert W. "Buck" Hutchins

Hubert W. "Buck" Hutchins, 86, of Newfoundland, died Monday morning, March 4, 2013, at his home. He was the husband of Joan Shaffer, at home.

Born in Waymart, he was the son of the late Burton and Minnie (Bucklish) Hutchins. He had resided in Newfoundland since 1949.

Buck owned and operated Buck's Leathercraft from 1949 until the day of his death. He opened his first shop in Waymart in 1946, following in his father's footsteps in a business established in 1911. A master craftsman in leather, he made special leather goods for General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Ronson Corp., the New York City Police Department and made hatbands, chin straps and badge cases for the Pennsylvania State Police.

A 10th-generation family that came to Plymouth Plantation in 1638 aboard the Friendship, he was a direct descendant of John Church Hutchins, a minuteman at the battle of Lexington Alarm.

A graduate of Waymart High School, class of 1944, he entered the U.S. Army in April 1945 and served with the 88th Blue Devils Infantry Division in Italy. He was a member of Post 509 Veterans of Foreign Wars, Tobyhanna.

Buck was a baseball legend in Wayne County, playing for more than 20 years in the Wayne County Amateur League with his identical twin, Hobe. It was difficult to tell which one was pitching and which one was catching. Buck was inducted into the Wayne County Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

In addition to his wife, Joan, he is survived by two sons: Robert (Colleen) Hutchins of Lafayette, La., and James (Lisa) Hutchins of Blakeslee; four stepchildren: Grace Krzan of Dunmore, Chris Shell of Scranton, Geraldine McGraw of Lakewood, and Frank Karwoski of Scranton; his twin brother, Hobart "Hobe" (Mary Lu) Hutchins of Franklin, Tenn.; his sister-in-law, Margery Hutchins of Grand Rapids, Mich.; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by a grandson, Jared; a sister, Alice Allen; and his brothers, Wilson, Merlyn and Burton Jr.

Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 7, at Arthur J. Frey Funeral Home, 201 LaAnna Road, Village of LaAnna, South Sterling. Funeral services with military honors will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 8, at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Annville.